Nevada Marriage Equality Headed to Senate Floor

By Sunnivie Brydum April 11, 2013, 9 p.m.

Nevada moved one step closer to legalizing marriage equality this morning, as the Senate Legislative Operations and Elections Committee passed a bill repealing the state's heterosexual-only defintion of marriage along a party-line of 3-2. The bill now heads to the Senate floor for a full vote.

Senate Joint Resolution 13 would amend the Nevada constitution to repeal language that only allows the state to recognize marriages between two people of opposite genders, according to a legislative summary of the bill posted on the State's website.

Because SJR13 would amend the state constitution, the legislature must pass the bill in two consecutive legislative sessions, without gubernatorial approval, according to the Human Rights Campaign. If the legislation passes both chambers this year and during the next session in 2015, then the amendment will be put before voters in 2016. At that point, the amendment just needs a simple majority of support from Nevada voters to become law.

Public support for marriage equality in Nevada is at 54 percent, according to a poll from the Retail Association of Nevada, cited in February on HRC's blog.